Summary:
Zip code 24301 in Pulaski, Virginia, is served by one middle school—Pulaski County Middle—which enrolls 825 students in grades 6 through 8 and is part of Pulaski County Public Schools. The school operates in a high-poverty area, with 91.39% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, yet it still manages to deliver several notable academic outcomes.
Pulaski County Middle stands out for exceptional Algebra I performance, achieving 100% proficiency for 8th graders in both 2024–2025 and 2025–2026, well above the state average. The school also outperforms Virginia in 7th and 8th grade mathematics, posting proficiency rates of 62.02% and 52.85% compared to state averages of 51.11% and 46.86%. Reading results are close to state averages in 7th and 8th grade, though 6th grade reading lags by about five points. These achievements are especially noteworthy given the school’s high poverty rate and a chronic absenteeism rate of 21.7%, significantly above the district and state rate of 14.8%.
State rankings show a modest upward trend, with Pulaski County Middle moving from the 34th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 38th percentile in 2025–2026, though it remains in the lower half of Virginia middle schools. The school benefits from a favorable student-teacher ratio of 12.5 and per-student spending of $7,276, indicating that funding and class size are not the primary barriers. However, science and civics proficiency trail state averages by about three and five points respectively. Addressing chronic absenteeism could be the most impactful lever for improving overall achievement, as the school already demonstrates strong results in advanced math and near-average reading despite significant economic challenges.
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